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Stress‐wave‐assisted transport through the plasma membrane in vitro
Author(s) -
McAuliffe Daniel J.,
Lee Shun,
Flotte Thomas J.,
Doukas Apostolos G.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9101(1997)20:2<216::aid-lsm14>3.0.co;2-d
Subject(s) - biophysics , intracellular , cytoplasm , extracellular , membrane , thymidine , chemistry , in vitro , cell membrane , plasma , membrane permeability , biochemistry , biology , physics , quantum mechanics
Background and Objective Laser‐induced stress waves have been shown to alter the permeability of the plasma membrane without affecting cell viability. The aim of the work reported here was to quantify the molecular uptake by cell cultures in vitro and determine optimal stress‐wave parameters. Study Design/Materials and Methods Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were exposed to laser‐induced stress waves in an experimental arrangement that eliminated interference from ancillary effects such as plasma, heat, or cavitation. A radiolabeled compound (tritiated thymidine) was used as the probe. Results Stress waves enhanced the diffusion of tritiated thymidine by inducing a transient permeabilization of the plasma membrane. Furthermore, maximum intracellular concentration (2 × 10 5 thymidine molecules/cell or 10% of the extracellular concentration) was reached with only 2–3 stress waves. Conclusion Laser‐induced stress waves provide an efficient method for delivering molecules through the plasma membrane into the cytoplasm of cells. Lasers Surg. Med. 20:216–222, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.